Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an imaging system, and an imaging control method therefor, an imaging control apparatus, a radiation detector, and a storage medium and, more particularly, to a technique of appropriately holding an image captured by detecting radiation obtained upon irradiation.
Description of the Related Art
In a medical diagnostic field, radiation images have been used. In general, a system for capturing a radiation image includes a radiation generating apparatus for performing irradiation with radiation, a flat panel sensor (to be referred to as a sensor hereinafter) for detecting radiation obtained upon irradiation and generating a radiation image, and a control PC for controlling these apparatuses. When the radiation generating apparatus performs irradiation with radiation by a switch operation by a user or the like, the control PC drives the sensor to transmit a radiation image generated by the sensor to the control PC. When imaging succeeds, the control PC displays the radiation image received from the sensor on a connected monitor or the like, and then the user can confirm the image.
If the control PC cannot receive the image due to, for example, an operation error of the sensor or a communication failure between the control PC and the sensor, it is necessary to prevent the captured image from being lost by holding the image in the sensor. If the captured image is lost, it is necessary to perform imaging again, thereby increasing the burden on a patient due to ineffective exposure. To prevent an increase in burden in advance, there has been developed a sensor in which a storage area is provided so that the sensor can temporarily hold a captured image when the image cannot be normally transmitted.
In general, a hospital often has a plurality of imaging rooms where radiation imaging is performed. Radiation imaging systems installed in the respective imaging rooms are not always the same and different radiation imaging systems may be installed in the respective imaging rooms. As a sensor used for a recent radiation imaging system, a wireless sensor requiring no cable connection has been developed to improve the usability, and one wireless sensor can be used in a plurality of imaging rooms. Assume that imaging has been performed by a wireless sensor in the first imaging room but transmission of an image has failed, and thus the untransmitted captured image is held in the sensor. When an attempt is made to perform imaging using the wireless sensor in this state in the second imaging room, the image captured in the first imaging room may be unwantedly transmitted to a system in the second imaging room. In this case, since the system which has received the image does not hold the patient information, imaging information, and the like of the received image, it cannot link the captured image with correct patient information, and thus cannot generate normal imaging data. As a result, an image lost state is set for the patient, and it becomes necessary to perform imaging again.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-263320 discloses a technique for solving the above problem. That is, when turning off the power of a control PC which receives an image captured by a sensor, whether the sensor holds an untransmitted image is confirmed. When it can be confirmed that the sensor holds no untransmitted image, the power is turned off, thereby preventing an image loss.
In the method described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-263320, however, an image may be erroneously transmitted when imaging is performed using the same sensor in another system before the power of a system which has performed imaging is turned off. If the power of the sensor has already been turned off to stop the function when turning off the power of the control PC, it is impossible to confirm the presence/absence of an untransmitted image, and an image may be erroneously transmitted.
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and provides an imaging technique of preventing untransmitted captured image data from being erroneously transmitted to an inappropriate controller when a sensor holds the untransmitted captured image data.